Love and Friendship
by LaBelleAmante
Summary: Gambit finds two mutants in need of help with their mutations and takes them with him when he goes to visit his old friend Storm. Will he finally be able to find true friendship and maybe even love? Rated M, please don't read if you are underage.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer – I own none of the original plot and characters (disclaimers seem kind of pointless since this is a fanfiction website, but oh well)**

**A/N this pretty much disregards the film and is totally AU. Jean and Scott and Xavier are all alive, and Logan is at Xavier's school. I will be bringing in plots points from the movies later on. Rogue never met Logan before and she has never been to Xavier's school. With that said, on with the show!**

**RoguePOV**

I ran along the street as fast as I could, dodging the few people that were about at this time of night with practised ease. I always ran, always sprinted away from the voices, but I knew in my heart that it was pointless. They were a part of me, inside my head and there was no way for me to escape them. I felt tears well up in my eyes as they began their torment again, and nothing I could do would block them out.

_Poison, that's what you are; a poisonous leech._

_What gives you the right to exist?_

_Yes, why are you allowed to walk around as if you were harmless?_

_You know what happens if you touch a normal human. _

_Yeah, they become vegetables, lifeless, destroyed beings._

_And it's not just them you hurt. What about their families, their loved ones? How do you think they feel about what you do?_

_The world would be better off if you died._

I gave up on trying to stop the tears and they coursed down my cheeks in great floods as I continued to run until my lungs burned and my heart felt as if it was about to pump its way out of my chest. I doubled over, my gloved hands resting on my knees and my body pulling in breath after breath in quick succession. After a moment of heavy gasping I stood up and stumbled over to a bench a few feet away, sitting down and waiting for the aching in my legs to calm to a manageable level.

I was so absorbed in trying to get my breath back and attempting to ignore the voices in my head that I didn't hear or see the man that sat down next to me. It was only when he spoke that I became aware of his presence, leaping away from him and only just managing to stop myself from screaming.

"Are you alright?" were the simple words he spoke, and as I stared down at him sitting on the bench, I couldn't seem to find the words to answer him. His eyes were in shadow from his fedora, and I couldn't quite make out the features of the upper half of his face. He was fairly tall, with long legs stretched out in front of him, and his body was lean and athletic. That was all I noticed before instinct took over and I turned away from him, jogging down the street and praying that he wasn't following me. I turned back when I reached the end of the street and was relieved to see that he hadn't moved from his position on the bench.

If there was anything I had learnt during my time on the run it was that you shouldn't trust anybody. They would only come back and hurt you later.

**GambitPOV**

I watched from the shadows between the streetlamps as a girl, roughly eighteen years old at a guess, ran down the street with tears pouring down her face. She slowed just after she passed me, eventually coming to a stop and doubling over, trying desperately to catch her breath. After a couple of minutes had passed and she seemed to be getting her breath back she stood up and went over to sit on a bench, tears still streaming down her face.

I would have left her alone; people always have problems and I am not keen on involving myself with every single upset person I met, but her emotions were stronger than almost any I had ever come across. It was part of my mutation, being able to feel what other people were feeling and from her I felt hate, fear, pain, misery and a crippling sense of isolation, and almost without conscious thought I found myself walking over and taking a seat on the bench next to her. Being a master thief, I had perfected the art of moving silently and disappearing into the background, so I wasn't surprised when she didn't notice me.

"Are you alright?" I asked cautiously, knowing that it was a stupid question but hoping that it would break the ice a little. She leapt up and away from me, looking as if she had only just managed to stifle a scream. Her eyes tried to meet mine, but I knew she wouldn't be able to see their distinct and unsettling red and black appearance under the shadow of my hat. She let her eyes drag over my body quickly, before turning away and running off down the street, her tears still falling as she hurried away. When she reached the end of the street, she turned back to face me, and I felt her relief when she saw me still sitting there before she turned the corner and disappeared.

I could feel her emotions for a few more moments before she was too far away and after sitting on the bench for a while longer I stood up, stretched and headed off in the opposite direction to the one she took, wandering around until I came across a decent looking hotel. I paid with some of the money from the heist I had successfully completed a couple of days ago before heading up to my room. I lay back on the bed trying to decide what to do, but for some reason I kept on getting distracted from my thoughts by the memory of the crying girl. I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the image of her fear-filled eyes.

I rubbed my hands over my face before deciding that I needed to get out of here and, more importantly, I needed to forget the girl. I stood up and quickly changed into a slightly smarter shirt, raking my hands through my hair and placing my fedora back on before heading out of the hotel. It didn't take me long to find a bar, and I was pleased when the only reaction the barman gave to my eyes was a slight jump when he noticed them. Lots of barmen would probably have kicked me out, but glancing round I saw a couple of other mutants; one girl with distinctly green-tinged skin and one man sitting with her with what looked like cat ears on top of his head instead of regular human ears.

I ordered a beer before leaning with my back against the bar, content to just do some people watching for the time being. I had a general idea of trying to get a girl, just for one night, but the evening was still young and there was no rush. I deliberately stopped myself whenever any thoughts of the girl from earlier popped into my mind, choosing instead to continually scan the people at the bar looking for potential one night stands. I stayed where I was for another hour, and I could sense the barman's frustration when I didn't buy another drink, but he wasn't angry enough to kick me out just yet. I heard him come up behind me, but was surprised when I felt him tap me on the shoulder. I turned around and he shoved a shot glass of something towards me, before nodding at a girl further down the bar indicating that it was her who had bought me the drink. I checked her out briefly, and was pleased with what I saw. I picked up the shot glass and downed the drink as I walked over to her, smiling my most charming smile and calling the barman over to get another shot for each of us.

"Hi," she said shyly to me, but I knew it was just a ruse. She knew she was attractive and was actually very confident, but I agreed with her that the shy act did make her slightly more appealing. "My names Catherine, but you can call me Cat," she continued with a pleasant smile. I smiled back at her, before picking up my second shot glass and leaning my head back to drink it, keeping my eyes trained on her to note her reaction to my obviously mutant eyes.

"My names Gambit," I said when she didn't move away at the sight of the red iris swimming in the inky black, and I was pleased when instead she ran her hand lightly over my arms. Our conversation continued for a few minutes before I suggested we went to my hotel room, and she readily agreed.

I groaned quietly when I felt the sunlight burning onto my eyes, scrunching them shut a little tighter before groaning again and sitting up. The sheets pulled up with me, pooling around my waist and revealing the bare torso of – what's her name? – Cat, that was it. She stirred at my movement before slowly blinking open her eyes and staring around a little disorientated for a moment before her eyes came to rest on me and she smiled. She sat up behind me and began to run her hands over my shoulders, and I tensed for a moment before pulling away and standing up, reaching over for my discarded trousers and pulling them on quickly.

"What, so that's it? You don't want me anymore?" she said, sounding and feeling distinctly put out.

"Look, chéri, your beautiful and I had a good time last night, but I'm leaving today, and I thought I made it clear that I was just looking for a good night." I said with a sigh before walking into the bathroom and shutting the door behind, hoping she would take the hint and be gone by the time I finished my shower. I enjoyed the relaxing feeling of the jets of hot water hammering into my back, and emerged a little while later to a thankfully empty bedroom.

I began to pack all of my stuff into a bag that was just small enough to be hand luggage on a flight, deciding that, although I had been planning on staying another night, I would leave this afternoon instead. I went downstairs, and asked the woman at the front desk if there was a computer with internet access available. She pointed out an area in the corner of the lobby with three computers, only one of them in use, and I smiled and thanked her before moving over and taking a seat. It only took me a few minutes to change my flight to this afternoon, and then I headed back to the front desk to cancel my reservation for tonight. I got some of the money I had paid yesterday back, before heading out into the sun with a few hours left to kill.

I wandered through the streets for a while before taking a seat on the very same bench where I had met the girl the night before. It was in a more run-down area of the city, with empty buildings and drab shop fronts with plenty of dark alleys. I was quite comfortable where I was watching people walk by, very few of them paying me any attention except for the odd glance in my direction. I closed my eyes behind my dark glasses, and was drifting off slightly before I was startled by the unmistakeable sound of the safety catch on a gun being released. I stood up quickly and glanced around until my eyes came to rest on a man with a gun pressed against a young woman's head.

"Hand over your purse and I promise not to hurt you," he leered at the girl, and she carefully slipped her handbag off her shoulder with shaking hands before passing it over to him.

"And your necklace sweetie," he said, and as she began to protest he pressed the gun harder against her temple and ripped the valuable looking necklace off her neck before backing away with the gun still trained on her. I slowly walked towards them, pulling a pack of cards from one of the many pockets on my trench coat and began to charge them up. I waited until he turned away from the now sobbing girl before firing half of the pack of cards at him in quick succession, leaping forward and pinning him to the ground. I grabbed the handbag and necklace off him before swinging my fist back and punching him in the face hard enough to keep him unconscious for a good fifteen minutes.

I turned back to the girl who had by now sunk to the ground with her legs pulled up to her chest. I cautiously crouched down next to her and placed a hand lightly on her arm.

"Chéri, are you hurt?" I asked, concerned that maybe the man had physically hurt her in some way, but thankfully she shook her head in answer to my question. She lifted her head and raised her eyes to mine, not seeing their devilish colouring behind my dark glasses. I pressed the handbag into her hand and carefully lifted the necklace to her neck, reaching behind her to clasp it in place. Up close I could see that it was probably a white gold and diamond piece, and if the thief had managed to get away he would have been able to sell it for a hefty amount of money.

"Th-thank you," she stuttered out, and I stood up in one smooth motion, reaching a hand down to help her stand upon her shaky legs. She leaned heavily on my arm, and when I moved away she stumbled and I only just managed to catch her before she fell back to the ground.

"You know what chéri? I was considering going for lunch, why don't you join me? Having something to eat will make you feel better." I suggested, not quite sure as to why I was helping her like this; it wasn't how I normally behaved.

"Umm, if your sure that's alright then yes, that would be great," she said, her eyes trained on the ground. I wrapped an arm around her waist, supporting her shaky form before leading her over to where I had left my bag. I scooped it up and then began walking, running all the restaurants I had passed on my way through the city through my mind before deciding to go to one that was only a short walk away, some sort of Italian get up. We walked there in silence, with her gripping onto my arm, and I felt her fear much more strongly with the physical contact.

We entered the restaurant, and I quietly asked for a table for two. We were lead to our seats and passed menus, and it was only then that I spoke.

"I apologise for my rudeness in not introducing myself. People call me Gambit." I said, making a quick decision not to tell her my real name until I got to know her better.

"Thank you very much for what you did, Gambit. People call me Fate." She said, stumbling slightly over my name, and clearly only giving me a nickname, not her real name. Both of us were apparently being cautious.

"No thanks necessary. I couldn't very well have just stood by and watch him do that to you, could I?" I said, and she nodded at me before burying her nose in her menu. I studied her from where I sat, already having decided what I was going to eat. Her forehead was round, and she had a square jaw with sparkling blue eyes and generous lips, all framed by wavy red hair that hung almost to her lower back. She was much shorter than me, her head not even reaching my shoulders when she was walking next to me, and her body was small to match her height. She was remarkably pretty actually, but not really my type. I imagined her as being one of those girls that only went for long term relationships with romantic dates every other night and a thousand roses received on Valentine's Day.

"Are you ready to order?" the waiter said, and after a glance at her nod, I placed my own order, spaghetti carbonara. She ordered a small margarita pizza, and I ordered a glass of wine for each of us.

"So, what brings you to this part of the world?" She asked me.

"I had some business in town, but I am leaving later on this afternoon. What about you?" I replied. For some reason I found myself to be truly interested in what she had to say and why she was here.

"Well, my parents kicked me out a few months ago when they discovered I was a mutant, and I have been wandering around ever since." She said with a great sadness in her eyes when she mentioned her parents. I was interested to hear she was a mutant, and for a moment I contemplated the crazy notion of inviting her to join me when I left this afternoon, as the place I was going to would probably be perfect for her.

"Your mutation only developed a few months ago? How old are you?" I asked, because she looked like she was about twenty years old, and mutations normally developed a lot earlier than that.

"Oh, I have had my mutation for a few years now, but I managed to keep it a secret until just recently. I am 21 now." She replied.

"If you don't mind me asking, what is your mutation?" I asked her.

"I sort of control people's fates, hence my name. It's sort of complicated, and I don't fully understand it myself, but there isn't really anyone to help me discover just exactly what it is I can do. What about you? I mean, I saw you blow stuff up earlier, but is there anything else you can do?"

"Well, the blowing stuff up is basically me charging an object, I favour playing cards, and then I release the power when I stop touching the object. I also have enhanced agility and a more subtle mutation that allows me to influence people. I can't control that one, and I have no way of telling where my natural charm ends and my mutation begins. Plus I can feel other people's emotions, a power that is enhanced by physical contact" I said, surprising myself by how much I told her. Our food arrived then and we continued with small talk until we got our coffees after dessert.

"I was thinking, the place I am going to is where a friend of mine stays, and it is sort of like a school for mutants. I don't know much else about it, but maybe there would be somebody there that could help you with your powers?" I suggested after a moment of silence, and smiled slightly when I saw her face brighten with excitement at the prospect.

"That would be great! Where is it? If we need to travel far, I will need to stop off at a cash point to get some money, but that would be absolutely fantastic!" she said, her voice speeding up with her excitement. I smiled at her, and we decided to go to the airport now and book her a ticket to come with me. Storm, the friend that stayed at this 'school' had said I was welcome anytime, and the impression I got from her was that any mutants were always welcome there, so I was pretty confident that she wouldn't mind giving Fate some help. Also, I had plenty of money saved up, so if they needed it I could easily pay for Fate to stay there and develop and understand her powers. I was going because I had finally decided that I wanted to know if the operation Sinister had given me was completely irreversible or if there was any way in which I could get my full powers back and be able to control them.

I paid for the meal, despite Fate's protests, and we headed outside to get a taxi to the airport. I flagged one down, but just as it was pulling up I felt the overwhelming and familiar wave of emotions from the crying girl the night before. I turned around, my eyes scanning the nearby area, and they came to rest on the girl, a hoodie pulled tight around her and the hood shading her face from view. She was immensely sad and lonely, and I heard myself telling Fate to go on ahead and that I would be there in plenty of time for the flight. I pressed some money into her hands for the taxi fare, and was walking towards the girl before Fate could protest. I heard the car door shut and saw her being driven away, but I was finding it hard to notice these things through the waves of powerful emotions coming off the girl.

She was leaning against the wall, and I was careful to be very quiet, hoping she wouldn't notice me and bolt before I had a chance to talk to her. I don't know what I was planning on doing. I just knew that I had to stop this immense sadness she was feeling. No one should ever have to feel like that. I reached her and she either didn't notice me or chose to ignore me. I leant my back against the wall, and cleared my throat. She jumped slightly at the sound, and raised her tear-swollen eyes to meet mine behind my dark glasses. On instinct I reached out a hand to her, but she jerked away from me.

"Don't touch me!" she hissed.

"I'm not going to hurt you chéri. I just want to help you." I said.

"You can't help me. Nobody can." She replied, and I felt her resignation and full belief of that statement join the sadness she was feeling.

"Come on, I'm sure that there is a way to help you. What's wrong?" I said, wondering what had happened to her to make her like this.

"It's my mutation, isn't it? No solution for it." She said, and for the second time that day I considered the notion of taking a girl I barely knew with me to Storm's place.

"Well, there is one place that might be able to help you. I'm heading there this afternoon. It's a sort of school for mutants, and I hear that they help mutants to control and develop their powers." I said, and for some reason I found myself hoping that she would come with me. Why was I making a habit of picking up random girls in trouble and helping them? I felt the sharp jab of hope she felt at my words, and she lifted her head up to meet my gaze again.

"Are you being serious or just having me on?" she said, doubt colouring her emotions.

"Chéri, you wound me with your accusations! Of course I am being serious!" I said, smiling at her, and I was overjoyed when she gave me a tentative smile back.

"Where is it? Is it far?" she asked, hope once again rising up within her.

"Well, we would need to fly there. I have already booked my flight, but it wasn't a very busy flight, so we could probably get you a ticket." I said, and felt her sadness rise up again, quenching the hope she had felt only moments before.

"Oh, well thank you for the offer." She said, and she pushed up from the wall. I reached out a hand and grabbed her arm, pulling her back gently before she ran away.

"Can you not leave the state or something? Why can't you come?" I asked, confused.

"Well, I have no reason to stay here, but I don't have any money for a flight. So like I said, thank you for the offer, but I can't come with you." She said, but I refused to let her leave.

"Chéri, I can pay. It isn't that expensive." I said, still slightly confused as to why I felt a compelling urge to help her so much.

"I couldn't do that!" she replied, but I felt her hope rising up again at my words.

"Yes, you can. How about, we say that you owe me, and when you start to earn money, which I am sure will happen one day very soon, you can pay off your debt. That sound ok chéri?" I said, fully intending to ensure that she never paid me back. It was a cheap flight and I had more than enough money to keep me going for years. A thoughtful look came over her face, and I silently moved back to the road whilst she stared at the ground, debating her options. I flagged down a taxi and pulled open the door.

"Chéri?" I asked her, and I felt her excitement as she reached her conclusion, hurrying over and sliding across the seats to the other side. I slid in next to her and told the taxi driver to take us to the airport. We passed the journey in silence, her staring out of the window and me staring at her.

Her most striking features were her big green eyes and the white streaks that framed her face in her otherwise plain brown hair. She had full lips and a rounded face, her features soft and beautiful. They didn't match her body, which was painfully thin and bony, but with a few good meals I was sure she would gain soft curves. I decided that it was only fair that she knew I was a mutant too, so I pulled off my dark glasses and looked straight ahead, waiting for her to notice. It didn't take long before she glanced in my direction, and I felt her surprise when she saw my distinctive eyes, but she made no comment, and after she had studied them for a few more moments she turned back to watch the world passing by her window.

It didn't take us long to get to the airport, and the driver stared openly at me when I paid as I had forgotten to put my glasses back on. We headed into the airport and I bought her a ticket before passing through security. It only took me a moment to find Fate, she was leaning against the wall glancing round frantically, but she relaxed instantly when she saw me.

"Fate, this is..." I stopped, realising that I didn't even know the girls name. I hadn't looked at her passport, one of her very few possessions, just handed it over to buy the ticket.

"Rogue," she spoke up, smiling shyly at Fate.

"Well, I'm Gambit. Now I think we all know each other, and also, all of us are mutants, so don't worry about trying to hide it from each other." I said, before looking around to find one of the computers that told us when our flight would be boarding. We had another half hour before we needed to head to the gate, so I suggested that we went to get a drink. We all ordered our drinks, and I paid before we found a table next to a large window that looked out over the runway. We were all silent for a while, and just when it was starting to get really awkward, Fate spoke.

"So Rogue, are you looking to get help with your mutation too? What can you do?" she asked with genuine curiosity.

"I can absorb people's life force and, in the case of mutants, their powers just by having skin to skin contact. If I hold on long enough I can put people in a coma and even kill them. I just want to be able to control it, because I haven't had physical contact with anyone for such a long time, and I feel so isolated by my power." She said, the overwhelming sadness creeping back into her.

"Well, if you get control than that will be such a useful power. I'm sure there will be someone able to help you out. I just want to understand exactly what I can do, because at the moment I'm really not sure. I sort of control people's fate, but I don't know to what extent." I was quickly realising that Fate was one of those really chatty people and that she had only been quiet before because she was shy around new people.

She asked me about my powers, and we talked about different mutations we had come across for the next twenty minutes until it was time for us to board our flight. The flight was pretty empty and we had a whole row of seats to ourselves which was nice. Fate continued to talk and slowly Rogue seemed to be relaxing, although she kept her distance from both of us, clearly worried about touching us accidently.

I was the only one with luggage, Fate having only her handbag and Rogue carrying all her possessions in her coat, so we got through security and out into the open air fairly quickly. I flagged down a taxi and gave the driver the address that Storm had scribbled on a scrap of paper just before we went our separate ways, a scrap of paper that I had kept safe in one of the many pockets of my trench coat ever since then, knowing that one day I would probably end up using it.

We drove for about half an hour before the taxi reached a large, old fashioned mansion with towering gates at the entrance to a long drive. The taxi clearly couldn't get in, so I paid him and helped Fate out of the car, Rogue refusing to touch my offered hand and stepping out by herself instead. The taxi pulled away, disappearing round the bend quickly, and I went up to the intercom located by the gate, pressing the buzzer. I only had to wait a moment before a voice asked me for my name and reason for being there.

"I'm a friend of Storm, and I have two of my friends with me. Can I come in and meet with Storm please?" I asked, and after a moment the gates swung open. I stepped through them with the girls walking behind me and stepped into the mansion. To my left there was a desk where the girl who had spoken to me sat and she asked us to wait on the chairs in the corner for Storm, clearly not trusting us. I could feel both Fate and Rogue's nervousness as they waited, and even a hint of regret from Rogue, but before long a familiar white-haired weather witch strode into the room.

"Remy!" she said, a huge smile lighting up her face. "What the hell are you doing here?"

**A/N Well, my first bit of a fanfic has been posted! How exciting! I have to warn you in advance, I am terrible at updating, but I will do my best, and feel free to rant at me if I am taking too long to update! I would really appreciate it if you took a few moments just to tell me what you thought of this, and the plot is not set in stone so I am open to suggestions and requests. Thank you for reading! LaBelleAmante xxx **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Believe it or not, this is actually a fast update for me! I know, terrible isn't it? Anyway, thank you to everybody who reviewed! I really appreciate it!**

_Last time - I could feel both Fate and Rogue's nervousness as they waited, and even a hint of regret from Rogue, but before long a familiar white-haired weather witch strode into the room._

"_Remy!" she said, a huge smile lighting up her face. "What the hell are you doing here?"_

**RemyPOV**

"Came to see you of course!" I said, grabbing her into a hug that she happily returned. We had tried being a couple briefly a long time ago, but now our relationship was more like that of a brother and sister, with playful teasing and bullying hiding our true friendship for each other. "That and I was hoping that you could maybe get someone to help me with my mutation, and these two girls' mutations?" I said hopefully, and she noticed Fate and Rogue for the first time.

"Hello! I'm Ororo, but everybody calls me Storm." She said, disentangling herself from me and moving towards the girls with her hand outstretched. Fate stepped forward too and shook her hand, introducing herself, but Rogue stayed back, told Storm her name and then concentrated her gaze on the floor.

"I assume you are both mutants?" Storm asked them, and they both nodded. "Well, how about we go to see Professor Xavier, the man who set up this school, and sort out everything like what you need help with and where you are going to stay." Storm said, already walking away towards the door that she arrived through. I gestured for Fate and Rogue to step ahead of me before smiling at the girl at the desk and following after the girls. Storm led us through long hallways and past many closed doors, and I concentrated on trying to remember the way back to the entrance. Storm was engaged in a conversation with Fate, but Rogue and I hung back a little in silence.

We approached yet another anonymous door, yet this time Storm stopped and raised her hand to knock. She waited for a moment then smiled and pulled open the door, gesturing for us to follow her inside. I stepped into a room that was clearly an office, with dark wooden paneling along the walls that seemed to be the prevailing theme throughout the mansion, and a large, solid looking desk near to a window that took up nearly a whole wall. Behind the desk sat a man with a bald head and an aura of power around him. He had that look about him as if he knew everything and was some sort of all-seeing being.

"Welcome, all of you. My name is Charles Xavier, and this is my school. Please, take a seat." He said, gesturing to the chairs arranged around the room, all facing his desk. I waited until Rogue, Storm and Fate were all sitting before choosing the remaining chair, smiling at Rogue, who was feeling more than just a little panicky, before turning back to face Xavier.

"Now, I gather that all of you are here seeking both residence and help with your powers, both of which I will gladly offer you. I myself am a mutant, a telepath. Although this is primarily a school for mutants, there is also a team of specially trained mutants, older ones that have finished school that are called the X-Men. They are dedicated to using their powers for the benefit of humanity and mutants alike, and although you are very new here, I would like to offer you all the opportunity to train for and join the X-Men. You all have incredibly useful and powerful mutations, and you would be a great benefit to the team. For now, however, I have a class that needs teaching, so Storm will show you to your rooms and give you a tour of the place." He said, before turning around and shuffling through what I assumed to be a lesson plan. We hadn't even spoken a word and yet now Storm was showing us out of the room. I was feeling a little baffled by this, but decided to just go along with things for now.

More corridors, a staircase and hundreds of doors later Storm opened a door into a decent sized room with a queen sized bed and a bathroom.

"Rogue, this will be your room. Fate, your room is the next one down the hall and Remy, yours is three doors after that. By the looks of things, Remy, you are the only one with clothes?" she asked me, and I nodded. "Well, maybe this evening I could take you girls shopping? We can use the school's money to buy you some clothes, but it will have to be a bit later on because I have a couple of classes to teach this afternoon." She continued, and I felt Fate's excitement.

"I haven't been on a proper shopping trip in such a long time!" she said, before hurrying out of the room to go see her own bedroom.

"Well, I have to leave you now, but feel free to explore. Go into any room with an open door, but please knock on the closed ones and only go in if someone says you can. We try to give the students and the X-Men as much privacy as we can in a boarding school." Storm said, before giving me a final hug and leaving Rogue and me alone.

"They don't know how dangerous I am. I should have told that Professor, then he could have put me further away from people." Rogue said, staring at the floor dejectedly.

"Rogue, you need skin to skin contact to drain somebody right?" I waited for her nod before I continued. "Well, you are pretty covered up, so I don't think you really are a threat to anyone right now. When the professor has time, we can all go and talk to him, but for now, just relax. You are safe here, and I'll be here to look out for you, I promise chéri." I said, pulling her into a light hug. She stiffened against me and tried to pull back, but I just tightened my hold on her until I felt her relax in my embrace.

"Thank you, Gambit." She whispered when I let her go.

"You can call me Remy. I don't normally tell people my real name until I know them well enough, but Stormy kinda gave it all away, didn't she?" I said smiling at her and feeling pleased when she smiled back at me.

"Ok...Remy." she said, hesitating slightly over my name.

"Well, I'm going to go and check out my room, ok, then maybe you, me and Fate could do some exploring?" I suggested.

"Yes, that would be cool. Umm, Gambit, I mean, Remy, would you possibly, I dunno, come with me when I go shopping?" she said as I was leaving the room, and I felt her fear at asking me.

"Of course chéri! But you know, no one here will hurt you, like I said, you're safe now." I said, smiling before exiting the room. I walked down the corridor, counting the doors until I reached my own room. It was just like Rogue's room except with simple black sheets on the bed and grey curtains. I placed my bag on the bed, unpacking all of my things into the wardrobe and the chest of drawers before heading back to Rogue's room. I knocked on her door, and I heard her shuffling around before she called out for me to come in. I pushed open the door and stepped in.

"Shall we explore then, ma belle copain?" I said, gesturing towards the door, and she smiled shyly before sliding past me, keeping as much distance between us as was possible. I stepped out after her, pulling the door shut behind me before going to Fate's room and knocking on her door.

"Just a minute!" she called out, and I smiled at Rogue as we waited. We didn't talk, but the silence felt comfortable and not at all forced.

"Ok, I'm ready." Fate's door swung open and she stepped out, her hair hanging in wet tendrils down her back after clearly having had a shower. "So, what are we doing?" she said, bouncing around us. I was starting to realize that not only was Fate incredibly talkative, she also seemed to have almost limitless energy.

"Rogue and I are going to go exploring. Do you want to come with us chéri?" I asked.

"Yes, that would be great! So, where are we going to go first? I am scared of getting lost, but I guess that won't really matter. If we do then I'll just ask somebody how to get back here, or even if they could tell us where Storm is…" I rolled my eyes at Rogue, earning another of her cautious yet beautiful smiles as Fate bounced of down the corridor with us hurrying behind.

We wandered through corridors just like the one that our rooms were on, and I assumed that they were all bedrooms, what with every door being shut. It didn't take us long to work out the structure of the residential section of the mansion, and when we did we managed to exit it into the communal areas. There was a large room with several televisions and game consoles littered about, with large, soft sofas and armchairs scattered seemingly randomly about the room. Just down the hallway from that room there was a large kitchen with a few tables and chairs placed about the room and several large fridges. I opened the nearest fridge and saw that all of the different foods had nametags on them, but further exploration revealed that the largest fridge had unnamed food that seemed to be available to everyone.

Fate managed to keep up a running commentary on everything even though she had never been here before and clearly knew just as little as the rest of us. Over the course of our exploration I managed to perfect the art of blocking out her mindless chatter, instead concentrating on remembering where everything was located.

There were a couple more smaller sitting rooms, a large cafeteria and then a collection of classrooms, some filled with students. The classroom doors were all left open, and I stopped to watch Storm teaching what appeared to be geography to a class of young teenagers. From my vantage point at the back of the classroom I could see the games being played with their mutations that Storm couldn't see from where she was standing. I smiled as I watched them, seemingly enjoying having their mutations. I felt a little jealous of them knowing that I never had the opportunity to learn about and develop my mutation as they had, but I knew that I would gain nothing by being depressed about it, so I just smiled at Storm and led Fate and Rogue back to the large room with the televisions and sofas.

"I absolutely love it here! What do you think of it Rogue?" Fate said, sitting close enough to Rogue that I felt her worry about her powers rise up again. I was sitting on the other side of her, so I took her gloved hand in mine, squeezing it reassuringly. Again she smiled at me.

"I think it is a nice place." Rogue was clearly not as talkative or as easily adjustable to new situations as Fate, but she seemed content enough, and her emotions weren't nearly as strong as they had been when I first met her. We relaxed in the room for a while until we heard the low sound of a bell, which I assumed to mean that it was the end of the lesson. I was prved correct moments later when a flood of students came through the halls, some trickling into the room and casting us curious glances, but nobody spoke to us. A few minutes later Storm arrived, and she asked us all to follow her to meet with Xavier. She tapped on the door, and I felt the eerie sensation of someone speaking into my mind.

_I will see Mr. LeBeau first, please. Could Fate and Rogue please wait outside? _I didn't really hear it, I just sort of knew what was being said, but it was clearly the professor who 'spoke.' I pushed open the door and stepped into his office for the second time that day pushing the door closed behind me. I took a seat in the chair that he gestured to and waited for him to speak. He stared out of the window for a moment before turning back to face me.

"I know why you are here; you want to be able to access and control the powers that have been locked away in your mind. I would like to do a preliminary scan of your mind, but for that I need you to let down your mental barrier. At the moment I can only pick up on surface thoughts, and I have to concentrate to do even that. It is like you have some of you energy creating static in your mind. I know that you cannot consciously control this, so we will have to find another way." He said, his deep voice resonating around the room. We both sat in silence for a minute longer whilst he contemplated what to do. The silence dragged on and on, and just when I was about to speak, he broke the oppressive quiet.

"I think we need to exhaust you. Make you reach the stage where you have only enough energy to keep your body alive and not enough energy to protect your thoughts. I will have to be quick, but that should work. For now, leave it be. I will decide on the best way to go about doing that. Thank you for your time." He waved his hand towards the door. I left, again feeling rather confused. I had met him twice now and hadn't spoken a word to him, yet I felt that if I had been given the chance to say something, I would have remained quiet on my own free will. _Fate? I will see you now._

I took a seat next to Rogue, taking her hand in mine and whispering to her not to be nervous. Her emotions were getting more powerful again, something that seemed to happen whenever she was having negative feelings and at first she tensed up and became even more nervous, but I couldn't stop the smile on my face when I felt her relax and gently thread her fingers through mine.

**FatePOV**

I stepped into the office, not sure quite what to expect. In an ideal world I would leave this office with all the answers I needed, but I knew that was highly unlikely and that it could take a long time for me to understand and gain full control of my powers. I left Remy and Rogue outside, smiling to myself as I pictured them sitting next to each other. They did look like such a sweet couple. Maybe I could encourage them to get together. Although Rogue's mutation might prove to be problematic, I am sure that they would be able to find a way around it, and maybe Rogue would learn control here.

"Ah, Fate. Please, take a seat." The kindly professor said, and I perched in the seat he had offered me, my leg bouncing up and down restlessly. I hated sitting down and fond it impossible to remain still. I had noticed that Remy was the same, always fiddling or twitching unconsciously. Rogue didn't seem to have that problem; she was one of those people who could remain absolutely still and unnoticed. I couldn't stand doing that; I freely admitted to being a tiny bit of an attention whore. All in good humor of course and I knew when to step back and let other people take the limelight, but I just wasn't made to hang around in the shadows at the back of the room.

I realized that Xavier had been talking to me, and I blushed when I found I hadn't heard a word; I was too caught up in my thoughts.

"Sorry! I wasn't paying attention. Could you repeat that?" I blurted out, blushing even more furiously when he laughed.

"I was just asking you to explain what you know about your powers." He repeated for me.

"Oh, ok. Well, I have to use playing cards, a pack of 52 and with them I can predict people's futures quite accurately. I was thirteen when I first did it, I was playing blackjack with my uncle, and when we finished I was just messing around with the cards. I laid out some of them, deciding to try and 'read' them to find out what my future was. I was honestly just playing around at being a fortune-teller. I placed seven cards in front of me, and they sort of made sense. It was like a book, I understood what each card meant, what they meant together and how significant the combination and location of the cards was, and it told me what I was doing tomorrow. I can't even remember what they said, and I couldn't explain how I knew, but it turned out to be true. I tried again with other people in mind, and it always worked out to be true." I said, cringing internally at how pathetic and vague I sounded.

"Ok. You said that you did it with 'different people in mind'. How is it that you decide who to read the fortunes for?" he asked, not seeming to mind my vague response.

"Oh, that's easy. All I have to do is think their name and picture their face when I place the first card down."

"Ok, so that was when your powers first emerged. Where there any further developments?" he asked.

"Well, when I was about fifteen I was reading my fortune. I was going out with a boy at the time, and as you do when you are fifteen, I thought it was true love and that we were meant to be together. Anyway, I laid out my cards on the table, and they showed us splitting apart. I was so upset and angry, and without thinking I took the rest of the pack and shuffled through until I found all the cards that would make us stay together. I laid them out on the table, arranging them just how I wanted my future to look. I went to school the next day fully expecting him to break up with me, but the future I had created, my perfect day, was what actually happened. I experimented with it, and I discovered that not only can I read people's future, but I can also change it. It is really easy to change my future, much harder to change other people's futures." I finished off, worried about what his reaction would be. Everyone I had ever told had reacted with fear, running away from me, scared that I would change their futures to cause them harm.

"Ok, you have given me a lot to think about. I will have to explore your mind to discover the extent of your powers. I understand that sometimes you change people's futures without realizing it?" he said.

"Yes, and it isn't with cards! And I get flashes of people's futures, like hallucinations or vivid daydreams, and then I change them. I can't control it, and I become unresponsive when I have those episodes. They are what I am scared of, they are what I want to control." I said, and I could hear the fear in my own voice. I had never told anyone about those episodes, and they terrified me. "They are happening more and more frequently now, and I am scared of hurting someone. I try not to alter people's futures too much, I think that is wrong, I concentrate mainly on reading futures, but I cannot stop these episodes from happening."

"Ok, I will do a mind scan in a few days after you have settled in here, but until then I need you to tell me if you have any more of these episodes. It is vitally important that I know if you change anyone's future. That is all for now, please can you send Rogue in." he waved towards the door, clearly dismissing me.

I stepped outside, telling Rogue that Xavier would see her now. I took the seat she vacated, turning to Remy.

"So, what do you think of him? It is weird being around a telepath, you can't hide anything, can you? He is sorta controlling don't you think? But very nice of course, and I think he can really help me. Do you think he will be able to help you with your powers?" I said, blushing when I saw him raise an eyebrow at me. I knew that I talked too much, but it was so hard not to.

**RoguePOV**

I stepped into the office feeling so nervous. When he found out what I could do I was sure that he would turn me away. Nobody had ever accepted my mutation before Remy and Fate, and I just assumed that they were the anomalies and definitely didn't represent how everyone else would react. I sat cautiously on the seat, hunching my shoulders over and shrinking back from the intimidating man before me.

"Rogue, could you tell me about your mutation?" he said, and I quietly began to recite the facts that would get me kicked out no doubt.

"If I have skin to skin contact with anyone I drain their life force and, if they are a mutant, their powers. If I hold on long enough I can put the person in a coma or even kill them." I kept my answer brief and didn't make eye contact with him and tried to appear as unthreatening as possible.

"Rogue, you are safe here. We accept and help every single mutant who comes through our doors. We are not about to make an exception for you, I promise. When did your mutation begin?" I felt slightly reassured at his words, but still a little scared.

"I was with my boyfriend, and when I kissed him I drained him. As far as I know he is still in a coma. I got these white streaks after I had drained him. I still hear him, and everyone else I have ever drained in my head. They talk to me, tease me. They all hate me for draining their original people." I said, not sure why I was telling him something I have never told anyone before. The voices were my deepest secret, and I had kept it to myself for years until this man somehow made me reveal it to him.

"Don't be scared Rogue. I promise that I will do all I can to help you gain control over your mutation. I will need to do a mind scan, but we can leave that for a couple of days whilst you have a chance to settle in. You can go now. I think Storm is waiting for you outside." I hurried out, mumbling a quick thank you and pulling the door closed behind me carefully. I turned to see Remy sitting next to Fate with Storm of to the side of them. I sighed internally. I was starting to really like Remy, but he was clearly more interested in bubbly, gorgeous Fate. I was after all the untouchable, plain girl. Who would want to be with me? I felt sadness and despair welling up inside me, and felt guilty when Remy clearly felt what I was feeling and left Fate to take my hand.

**RemyPOV**

I was talking with Fate, or more accurately being talked to by Fate when Rogue stepped out of the office. She seemed to be feeling vaguely hopeful until she saw the three of us, and suddenly I was hit by a wave of despair. I didn't really think, just stood up and took her hand in mine, staring into her amazing green eyes, trying to understand what had caused her this pain. I pulled her to me, embracing her carefully, trying to offer her some form of contact. I was confused when I felt her guilt, but didn't say anything, just content to hold her in this moment.

**A/N So, I hope you enjoyed it! I would be really grateful if you could take a moment to tell me what you thought of it, and I am open to any criticisms or suggestions for the story line. I am going to involve some of the plot lines from the movie, but with some twists in it. Also, I realized what a pathetic title this fic has, so if anyone has any suggestions for a title, please tell me! Thank you for reading! LaBelleAmante**


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